Personal Trainer in a Box

By Pauline Lee on January 8th, 2009

New Year. New start. And like most people, one of my resolutions is to exercise more regularly. So far I’ve been really good about it, but already I have moments on the treadmill where I feel like a hamster running on a wheel. Then I start to wish that I had a personal trainer to spice up and customize my workouts without costing a fortune. And it looks like Electronic Arts (EA) is going to answer my wish with the release of their EA SPORTS Active game for Nintendo Wii in Spring 2009.

Turning exercise into a fun game you can do in front of the TV makes getting fit so much more appealing. The sheer entertainment and novelty of it may be just enough to distract me from the fact that I’m working up a sweat and burning calories. And with real-time tracking of body movements, there is instant feedback on proper form as if there was a real trainer in the living room!

EA SPORTS Active sounds like it will go beyond Wii Fit’s training mini games (which disappointed some users because it focused mostly on fun and mild aerobic activity rather than real weight loss). SPORTS Active will include a leg strap that holds the Wii Nunchuk controller and an electronics-free resistance band to provide an exercise circuit that targets both upper and lower body as well as cardio. The software was designed in collaboration with fitness experts (with the likes of Oprah’s trainer Bob Greene!). There’s a “30 Day Challenge” feature that customizes 20-minute, unique workouts everyday for a month.

For a closer look at the product features as well as a demonstration video, check out their website.

(Image courtesy of EA Sports)